If you've ever walked into the Jr/Sr High School office needing a question answered, a problem solved, or a friendly smile to brighten your day, you know exactly how lucky Coleman Schools has been to have Nancy Sian as our office secretary for the past 33 years!
Nancy originally joined our district as a part-time afternoon secretary. She stayed for over three decades because she truly loves secretarial work, and she fell in love with our community. Now, after 33 years of keeping us organized, smiling, and on track, Nancy is happily turning off her early-morning alarm for good!
Having been with the district since the nineties, Nancy has seen technology evolve in ways today's students would struggle to imagine. "I still remember having to constantly crank the copy machine if I had to make a bunch of copies. The only computer we had at the time was an Apple IIe - everything else was a typewriter!"
Nancy believes it was her love of students, their parents, and grandparents that keeps her young! Watching a student walk through the doors as a wide-eyed 7th grader and leave years later as a high school graduate has always been the highlight of her career.
Her advice for anyone stepping into her shoes? "Have a smile on your face and have a positive attitude! Don't worry, be happy!"
Nancy was most often seen playfulling calling students "little rascals," dressing up in elaborate costumes for Spirit Week, or delivering her signature line, "Are we having fun yet?" She brought the joy and structure her building staff needed to keep staff happy and the building running smoothly. A coworker shared this memory of Nancy:
Steve Fox: "Nancy is the glue that has held many parts of the school together. She was always dependable, accessible, and trustworthy. Nancy also has a great sense of humor, but there were limits! Many times I would come through the office and mention how quiet it was. Nancy would give me a dirty look and yell that every time I mentioned it was quiet, it would become chaotic minutes later. This past year, when I came into the office, Nancy wouldn't even let me say anything - I was pretty much expected to get my mail and leave or risk getting hit with a hockey puck that she had in her drawer! I'm going to miss that and the calm that settled over the office when Nancy was here."
Nancy is most excited about one thing, "Not having an alarm set - 100%!"
Once she catches up on her sleep, Nancy will be busy babysitting her grandkids and hanging out with her "annoying but loveable" dog, Bandit. She also plans to keep up her Monday night Bingo tradition, do plenty of traveling throughout Michigan, and a trip down to Texas this summer. You might even see her back in the stands soon, as she plans to come back and cheer on the kids at future school events!
Reflecting on her time spent at Coleman, Nancy shared: "I wouldn't have been here for 33 years if I truly didn't love working with all the students, staff, and parents. Being around the kids makes me feel young!"
Nancy, thanks for keeping all of us feel young, too. Thank you for being the glue that held us together for 33 memorable years. Congratulations on your retirement!
Nancy (left) participating in Winter Spirit Week with Mrs. Bell and Mrs. Thering (2013)
We're all surprised there's not any RC Cola in that giant baby bottle!
Nancy during Blue & White Day with Deputy Hodges and Mrs. Bell.
Nancy enjoying Halloween with Mrs. Porter!
90s Nancy
90s Nancy